


despite the long distance

by v1ewmonster



Category: Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound
Genre: Banter, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Mutual Pining, Ness Has ADHD, Post-Canon, Swearing, Talking, mostly by ness, that tag may seem dark but it doesn't get that way don't worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-22 14:16:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,274
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22117252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/v1ewmonster/pseuds/v1ewmonster
Summary: A fic that tackles topics such as poor sleeping habits and long distance relationships, as well as finding ways to deal with them.
Relationships: Jeff Andonuts/Ness
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	despite the long distance

It was 5 AM. Ness woke up to find dark circles under his eyes. Actually, those were always there, and Ness had taken it upon himself to improve his sleeping habits, specifically by going to bed once the clock struck ten. However, things hadn’t been going so well for him, if that wasn’t already obvious. Despite returning to a normal life after saving the world, he still found himself busy, especially since baseball season was starting, and he had to catch up on his schoolwork. 

He continued to look at himself in the mirror. The dark circles that rested under his eyes still bothered him, but he knew that with the proper schedule, he’d be able to get on the right track when it came to his sleeping habits. Though he wasn’t good at planning, so that proved to be a problem.

_At least I’m not like Jeff,_ Ness thought to himself, fingers resting on his chin. His thoughts drifted to that mess of a genius. They had been dating for a few months now since they returned to their everyday lives, but it was becoming a long-distance relationship, considering Jeff was researching in Doctor Andonuts’ lab, as well as repairing the estranged relationship between them. Ness hated to admit it, but he was jealous that he wasn’t spending as much time with his boyfriend as he would have liked. But he understood that family was important too, so he wasn’t completely envious over it. 

Every now and then, when Jeff wasn’t busy, Ness would teleport over to the lab for a surprise visit. Jeff appreciated his visits, considering how he seemed lonely, even with Doctor Andonuts in his presence. So Ness found himself as the affection Jeff needed; the affection his father wouldn’t give him. 

Sure, it was 5 AM (almost 6 at this point, wow), but Ness couldn’t sleep, and he was sure that Jeff wasn’t either (probably working on an invention of some sort), so he decided that another surprise visit wouldn’t hurt, regardless if it was in the early morning. 

He snuck out of the house, noticing that his mother was sleeping on the couch. King didn’t move a muscle either, sleeping on his usual bed by the telephone. Once Ness reached the outside, he slowly closed the door, and the next thing he did was teleport. It didn’t take long for him to reach his destination, feeling the frigid air of Winters settle into his skin. He _surely_ missed that. 

He knocked on the door, waiting for a reply. Almost immediately, Jeff opened the door, which shocked Ness. He wasn’t wearing his glasses. Instead, they were resting on his forehead, causing him to squint. He also possessed the similar dark circles under his eyes that Ness had.

“Who is- oh… Ness!?” Jeff was close to freaking out. “I uhh, didn’t expect you to come here! And so early, might I add!” 

Ness laughed, not at his reaction, but at the fact that he had come in the early hours of the day. “Yeah, I wanted to surprise ya a little! That and I couldn’t sleep, and… I missed you.” 

Jeff took his glasses, pushing them to the bridge of his nose, face turning red. The puppy love still refused to leave the relationship, even after all this time. “That’s… awfully kind of you. Oh, where are my manners? Come in, come in! You must be cold after walking such a distance.” 

“I actually teleported, but yeah, I was startin’ to get cold.” Ness said, following Jeff into the laboratory. The floor was littered with Jeff’s trinkets, and Ness felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him. 

“Apologies for the mess,” Jeff said in modest. 

“It’s fine,” Ness said. “I’m used to my room bein’ messy anyway.”

“I would assume so.” 

Jeff had seen his room, and he remembered one time where he made an offhand remark about his messy room. Ness told him that he sometimes forgot that the mess was even there, which Jeff could relate to, but he still scolded Ness to at least clean his room, especially if he was having company. 

However, Ness never took up on that promise. 

It seemed like Jeff didn’t either, which was rather hypocritical of him, but Ness didn’t care. Everyone had their own set of habits, self-destructive or not. Including an improper sleep schedule, leading to a plethora of sleep deprivation symptoms. Ness and Jeff sure were acquainted with that, which was the main habit they had in common. 

“Where’s Doctor Andonuts?” Ness asked, looking around. 

Jeff crouched down, examining one of his inventions. “He went out.” 

“This early?” 

“And what about you? Didn’t you decide to visit me at 6 in the morning?” 

Ness emitted a “hah.” “Yeah, I shouldn’t have said that.” 

He was kind of glad that Doctor Andonuts wasn’t there, which gave him the opportunity to be more affectionate towards him. 

Then came the question Ness wanted to ask for a while. 

“Hey, did ya ever tell your dad about us dating?” 

Jeff seemed to be in a perplexed but contemplative state. “Not really, no. I don’t know if fa- I mean, Doctor Andonuts, would approve of it.”

“So us hangin’ around didn’t give him a hint?” Ness was sitting on one of the tables that Jeff used for science. 

Jeff shrugged. “I guess he just sees us as really close friends.” 

Ness got a chuckle out of that statement. Come to think of it, was Ness _ever_ that affectionate with Jeff when Doctor Andonuts was around? Probably not, considering how he didn’t know Andonuts’ stance on Jeff dating, especially when it came to dating a boy. 

“Well, we don’t hafta tell him yet if you don’t want to,” Ness said. “I don’t want to put you in any pressure or anything.” 

Jeff appreciated Ness’s concern, saying, “Thanks, Ness.” 

“No problem, dude!” Ness hopped off the table, giving Jeff a peck on the cheek. 

Jeff adjusted his glasses. “I appreciate you being concerned for me and even taking the time out of your morning to visit me, but I believe my father may be coming back. At least, he should be back, since he does around this time…” 

“Shit,” Ness said, somewhat disheartened. Before he headed to the door, he turned around, saying, “Hey, promise me you’ll contact me even if we’re apart most of the time? And maybe you could come over my house whenever you’re not busy with your nerdy stuff?” 

Jeff laughed softly at the last statement. “Of course I will, Ness. I may be busy with my father’s research, but what kind of boyfriend would I be if I forgot you?” 

With that, Jeff returned the gesture by giving Ness a goodbye kiss on the cheek. 

They walked outside, and the weather continued to feel like a slap to the face to Ness. But he didn’t care, because warm feelings accompanied with love spread to his chest. He smiled at Jeff, heat rushing to his face. 

“A shitty one, that’s for sure. But I know you’re not like that. If anything, you’re like the boyfriend I always wanted.” 

“Really?” Jeff asked nervously. “Even though it’s a long-distance relationship? Even if I sometimes don't return your calls? Even when I’m geeking out on something you don’t understand?” 

Ness smiled wider. “Of course! I’m not that petty. And don’t you know I love it when you talk about your inventions with me?” 

With that said, they shared one last intimate moment before Ness teleported back to Onett. Even though their visit was recent, Ness hoped that he would pay a visit again someday.


End file.
